Royal Opera House » youth2016-12-09T16:47:00ZWordPressMel Spencerhttp://www.roh.org.uk/?p=526622016-10-24T13:32:03Z2016-10-24T13:22:55Z

The Royal Opera House’s Youth Opera Company is proud to present a newly commissioned four-minute opera by children’s author Steven Butler and award-winning composer John Barber.

Watchers in the Wings stars 47 children aged between nine and 13 years old and sees them perform alongside British tenor Paul Curievici. The film was produced on location at the Royal Opera House and tells the story of a group of schoolchildren who find themselves whisked away on an adventure through the building, with a little help from a mysterious and enigmatic tour guide.

This commission aims to reach the hearts of a younger audience and showcase the versatility of the art form through a vibrant, lively performance on a digital platform.

Director of Opera, Kasper Holten, said: 'This has been a fantastic collaboration for us, working with new friends in the music video industry on a brand new opera for young people. It’s really important for us to find new ways of introducing opera to another generation.'

Singer Dana Whigan, 13, said her favourite moment was seeing herself in the make-up and costumes for the performance:

'I learnt that great things can be accomplished if we work hard and persevere,' she said.

Fellow performer Tyler Woodhouse, 12, said: 'My favorite moment was filming in the auditorium which was an extremely beautiful place and it was such an honor. It felt really special as so many people had performed there before us, which felt really cool as it was like making our little mark.'

As I prepare for the London opening night of David Bruce’s The Firework-Maker’s Daughter, I’ve been thinking about how we introduce young people to opera.

Opera is a diverse art form but historically there hasn’t been a strong strand of repertoire aimed specifically at engaging young audiences. Of course, there are those who cry that opera is an acquired taste and fundamentally an art form for the mature. However, there is a risk that this translates all too easily into a philosophy that the delight of the first-timer and the child is somehow less important than the response of the initiated.

Young people are now rightly seen as equally valid makers and consumers of culture of all kinds. Last month we invited a focus group of young people from Charles Dickens Primary School in Stockwell into our rehearsal room. It was so helpful to have them there, giving us feedback on how the story was told and what they liked and disliked in the production and performances. This is an audience that is able to open its ears and listen without prejudice – an audience that happily listens to all genres without understanding that we impose arcane rules and boundaries between them. It’s an audience that we ignore at our peril, as their literacy is key to the future of our art form.

The literature and film worlds are far more developed in this area than the music and theatre worlds and of course much of the best work for young audiences engages all ages – like Shrek, Harry Potter or Hansel and Gretel. The Firework-Maker’s Daughter is the first of many operas for young audiences at the Royal Opera House. Julian Philips and Ed Kemp are writing a new work that will have its premiere in December 2013. Their production will be directed by the brilliant Natalie Abrahami, former Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre, and designed by Tom Scutt (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Constellations). Looking further ahead, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Unsuk Chin are both working on new operas, which we hope will delight young audiences.